


Of Hearts And Blue Blood

by GhostNeon



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android! Reader, Blind! Reader - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Multi, Multiple Relationships, cute stuff, idk still getting the hang of tags but i'll update as i go, maybe some smut, might do multiple parts sometimes, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 21:04:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15252009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostNeon/pseuds/GhostNeon
Summary: A collection of one-shots taken from my tumblr ranging from the fluffy to the downright funny and so forth - I'll be updating as requests come in from there but feel free to request in the comments if there's something you'd like to see and I'll see what I can do





	1. Conno X Blind!Reader - Midnight Voices

Midnight Voices: – Connor X Blind! Reader

Warmth seeped through your feet and hands curled tightly into the blanket draped lazily across your shoulders as soft, tentative footfalls echoed your every movement. The apartment was always silent around this time of night, with no noisy neighbors of buzzing chatter of security to ruin the calm the night usually brought with it – and it was because of this that you found yourself awake, pacing through the spacious halls and open rooms to relish in the freedom, revelling in the haze of a half asleep mind. You knew the layout of the complex like the back of your hand, passing through your home with ease and instead focusing on everything which greeted your senses.

Bringing a hand up beside you, your fingers made quick work trailing across the wall; tracing each and every groove of the intricately decorated wallpaper and enjoying the rough, calloused texture you could feel beneath your fingertips as you used it to guide you to your destination. Eventually the solid wall was replaced by the familiar cool chill of the living room glass and suddenly the silence was gone, now taken over by the muted buzz of the world beyond the window panes. Now placing both hands to the glass you smiled, just imagining the bright lights whizzing around right below your feet.

Even now, so far away from the streets below, Detroit was still brimming with life, truly alive with noises of all kinds melting together as if to form a chaotic symphony of sound and music; and you had to admit that whilst the quiet was often a welcome change, it couldn’t quite beat the alternative warmth that just seemed to emitted from the very city itself. For a while you were content to simply listen, spending the moments that you had to yourself just basking in the vibrant night life and taking in the thick scent of musk, leather and smoke which wafted up through the air even through the thick pane of glass separating you from the outside of the apartment; however your solitude only really lasted for so long before you heard it.

Footsteps, slow yet firm and calculated joined you in the living room, entering from the hallway just behind you and though the action was unnecessary you found yourself craning your head in the direction of the noise, lips parted yet still smiling, warm as you spoke up. There was only one you knew who would go through such an effort to make their presence known.

“Connor”

Smooth, soft hands slipped into your own, squeezing assuredly as you were tugged back ever so gently, back meeting with his chest as a head came to rest against your shoulder.

“I’m here” his voice was neutral as ever but soft, always so soft, and that alone warmed your heart as you sighed, turning back to your original position to continue admiring the crescendo of noises just barely out of your reach. Seconds passed, then moments, then a minute, before Connor spoke again.

“It’s late, (Y/N) – you’re aware you only have several hours before we need to leave for the meeting”

“I’m aware of that, Connor” And yet you made no attempt to move, instead defiantly cuddling closer into his side and making yourself comfortable, making your intentions to stay put clear. Above you, you could have sworn that you heard him sigh, as if exasperated.

“(Y/N) I have to insist that you try to get some rest; you know how you act when you’re tired” He continued to press. You couldn’t help but scoff but you knew that he was right all the same – you could already feel sleep still wearing heavy on your eyes and your breathing was slow and sluggish – clearly your body was more prepared for sleep than you had imagined, and yet you still protested.

“Just a while longer; let me enjoy this peace for a few more minutes, please?”

For a brief moment he seems to consider your words, before inevitably relenting. “Fine…but please, come sit down at least”

Stepping away your hands instinctively reached to take a hold of his arm, already poised as if readily expecting the action and you happily followed as he led you over to the sofa, allowing you to get seated before he settled down beside you. Few words needed to be shared between you so you settled for resting your head against his shoulder, pulling the blanket closer around yourself as you nestled into the warmth it provided.

Despite being content with the situation you couldn’t help but think, to think of whatever swam through your mind and merely listening to it, waiting for the words to reach the surface. And then-

“Connor?” you eventually spoke, with only a hum signalling that you now had his attention.

“…What is it like? – outside I mean” There was a notable pause, and you could practically feel Connor’s eyes bearing down at you, confused.

“I…don’t follow”

“Can you look outside the window? – describe what you see, for me?” Again you were met with a momentary quiet and you settled in further against him, fully expecting him to state against the idea, and yet you found yourself pleasantly surprised as he began to list off the things beyond the window pane.

“Mostly stars can be seen from here – your apartment is too far above to make out the street below. The streetlights do make them harder to see but it’s still…nice, calming-I think you’d like them.”

“I think I would too” you chimed in, just picturing how he could be perceiving the world around him through his own eyes, imagining what thoughts might be travelling through that processor of his right now.

As he continued you hung onto every word – sure with the way Connor worded certain descriptions of the things he explained it took a bit of creativity to imagine them, but you were enraptured with seeing everything through his words; so enraptured in fact that you’d hardly even noticed just how soothing his voice was until you found yourself now slumped completely into his side, curling in on yourself as you fought off sleep for just a little while longer.

Apparently Connor appeared to be far more aware of it however as you soon felt his hand rest against your shoulder, his voice lowered so as to not surprise you. “(Y/N), let’s get you to bed now, okay?” Although you made a few groans of protests you eventually conceded, however before you could even make a move to stand you felt your entire weight shift, your body slipping off of the sofa and against something soft and incredibly warm.

It didn’t take you long to realize Connor had opted to pick you up and lead you to your room instead, and whilst the thought of him having to steer you back to bed otherwise made you chuckle you couldn’t complain, instead allowing your head to rest against his chest to listen the constant, rhythmic beating of his thirium pump echoing within his chest like a melody of its own.

It was the beating of his heart which only proved to lull you further to sleep, finally bringing yourself to fall asleep, wrapped up in the arms of the ever protective android as his soft footfalls led you to a hopefully peaceful slumber, already looking forward to seeing him the next morning.


	2. Home - Various

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one has a more ambiguous relationship so you can decide what you will~  
> Also for the sake of continuity one of Zlatko's androids will be name Malcolm - kudos to whoever guesses which one it is~

You had no idea what you were getting into once you first took up the family farm, what would entail through starting your life all over again for the sake of making a name for yourself and keeping the place running; but you had known the moment that you settled into your home that it wasn’t going to be anything like you’d expected.

Work was hard to start with, getting used to a livelihood you weren’t used to, and being the only farmhand available didn’t make it any easier; however making do with the cards you were handed you worked the land well enough, ensuring that you were able to buy whatever you needed to live a comfortable enough lifestyle and make a name for yourself in the process - things all in all were going good. But things were lonely, you couldn’t deny that if you tried; you learned to love the work and had grown far more attached to the area than you’d ever thought you could, and yet even living such a comfortable life things were lonely, lackluster at best, and it was no surprise that you found yourself craving company, wanting to do and be something more than what you were; and all you needed was something to kickstart your drive to do it.

The day the first android stumbled through your door was where it all started - He was a WB200 model who looked like he’d been through hell and back by the time he’d stumbled up to the farmhouse porch, and you’d barely even had time to open up the door before he’d collapsed into your arms. Back then you knew little about androids and even less about how to patch them up so you had understandably freaked, but once you’d managed to drag him through the door and set him up on the sofa you tried to make do with what you had. You were relieved that he was able to make it through the night, and by the time that morning came you were calling every trusted friend you could, making best of whatever connections you had to get the distressed android whatever help he needed. It took a few hours and it was a miracle you were able to get your hands on the biocomponents and blood you needed on such short notice, but by the time you were able to bring him back around things actually started to look up.

By the time he’d gotten back onto his feet you’d spent as much time as you could getting to know your temporary house guest - he didn’t talk often, preferring to keep to himself and his own space for the most part, so you never got to learn much aside from his name and his affinity with birds; and yet you still cherished his company nonetheless, enjoying the momentary company the two of you shared if only for a little while. Once he’d finally recovered enough to travel on his own again, the WB200 hadn’t stayed for very long, only a few days at most before he moved on to wherever his travels took him. Understandably, once he’d left you’d assumed that things would just go back to normal, and that you’d have to come to terms with the new silence of the house…of course it didn’t take long for that assumption to prove you very, very wrong.

Over the following months a steady stream of androids had approached your farmland seeking refuge, be it they stumbled upon it by luck or they’d come across others who had directed them here and soon enough your desolate home was quickly brimming with all kinds of life, with androids from all walks of life and all models, each one looking to you for support, for guidance. All were from detroit - of course they were, you’d heard enough stories from friends over in that part of the city to know that the androids from there were treated less than dirt, but you couldn’t have even imagined some of the things those people were capable of and the extent of their abuse until you’d seen the results of it all first hand. Perhaps it was that which ended up driving you to turning the farm into a sanctuary, or maybe it was just the desire to give them all a place to call home and recover from their individual traumas; you couldn’t really tell anymore but what you were doing mattered all the same - and you’d be damned if you didn’t at least do your best to help as many as you could to escape from the lives they were leaving behind.

Many flew the nest not long after recovering, understandably wanting to find and build a place of their own as far away from the border as they could get, and you were happy to give them whatever they needed to see them along the way; however a number of them had also asked to stay once they were back on their feet, all of whom had ended up taking up various jobs around the farm - from tending to the farm foods to helping you take care of the new arrivals, you all worked together to keep the farm up and running. You in turn were more than happy to have the company, confident that you were finally doing something more than just wasting your time isolated from what was happening all around you, glad that you were able to help get them all back on their feet with the right care and time with every day that passed by.

—————–

“Oookay I think that’s it!” satisfied with your work you pulled away, wiping the sweat off of your forehead with the back of your hand as you leaned back to give the android some space. For a few moments her face was blank as her hands came up, bracing against her chin as it tilted from left to right, but after a few moments her expression twisted, clearly trying to get accustomed to the new movement before realization settled onto her face.

You grinned, clapping your hands together watching her sag in relief as you chuckled triumphantly. “Ha! I knew that would do the trick!”

Had someone told you that you’d be using your skills in mechanics to help pry two parts of a skull back together and wiring control back into someone’s face you would’ve laughed before promptly bolting for the hills; however now that you’d finally managed it you couldn’t be more ecstatic, and it was clear that the android before you seemed equally pleased by the fact. Hands still framing her face she ran her hands over each and every feature as if rediscovering it for the first time, gradually choking up until tears were making thick marks down her ashen skin, mouth open in silent sobs of what you could only hope was joy. Your grin melted into a somber smile at the sight before you; even with the work her vocals were the one thing you hadn’t been able to repair - whatever sick bastard had gotten their hands onto her had made sure that none of your work could repair the damage. And yet seeing the utter look of gratitude and joy swimming within those newly focused eyes as you brought a hand to squeeze hers reassuringly a part of you felt as though this was enough.

“Now, it’s going to take some time for everything to come back online, and more likely than not you’re going to experience some uncontrollable ticks in your facial muscles for the foreseeable future, but aside from that I think that everything’s going to be-Hey!”

Whatever explanation you were trying to get out ended up muffled by the sudden weight pressing into your chest, knocking both you and the android back as you heard your tools clatter all over the place behind you. You could feel your cheeks burn and a flustered smile flash across your face as you brought a hand to smooth over the back of the android’s head who buried her face further against your chest, showing her gratitude through her actions as you soothed her into calming back down, the grin never once leaving your face.

“Well, I suppose I can take that as a thank you~!”

A brisk knock from the door caught your attention, and you craned your neck back in time for the door to swing open as a head poked through the gap in the doorway. Golden eyes met your own, a brow raised in amused confusion as you grinned.

“Malcolm! What can I do for you?” The android stepped into the room, arms folded and head cocked as he responded.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“Nope! We were just finishing up here!” you chirped, moving to situate yourself back on your feet as the two of you stood back up.

You took care to give her one last look over, wanting to make sure that she wasn’t walking away with any new bumps or scrapes from the tumble, and once you were satisfied that your work was done you clapped a hand onto her shoulder.

“It might be a good idea to get some rest for a while - be sure to come to me if you notice any other issues” With a brisk nod in response she brushed past you and slipped out of the door, offering Malcolm a bright smile as the two nodded to one another in silent affirmation, no words needed before she moved on, likely making her way back to her own quarters.

Releasing a content sigh you felt your shoulders grow lax, your attention now focused back on Malcolm as you wrung your hands, smoothing out your clothes as you spoke. “Okay, Now what can I help you with Malcolm? Is something wrong?”

He shook his head and waved a hand dismissively in response. “No, no nothing’s wrong - I just thought I should come in to check on you. I’ve seen people walking in and out of here all day, everyone but you, at least”

“Yeah I’ve been trying to get as much done as I could today - with more coming every day I just want to help them settle in as fast as possible” you chuckled, rubbing the back of your neck nervously. “I suppose with all the biocomponents we’ve gotten through these past couple of hours I should’ve known I’d lost track of time”

“You need a break, (Y/N) - the work will still be here once you return”

You eyed the android curiously and pursed your lips. Whilst the thought of a break certainly sounded appealing (especially given the way your hands had started to ache from overuse) you weren’t exactly keen of leaving the medical post - with so many deviants under your care what if one of them needed your help?

With those golden eyes almost searching through your own, Malcolm seemed to noticed your hesitancy and held the door fully ajar, giving you a good view of the people littered around the living room, all of whom were interacting with one another without a care, as though they were finally able to let their guard down and relax, and the thought alone finally brought a cave in to your resolve.

“Okay, okay I’m coming - let me just grab my coat” Swiping your jacket from the coat rack you shucked it onto your shoulders and followed Malcolm’s lead, almost swearing you spotted a flash of a triumphant smirk on the android’s face as you tailed behind him and let him lead you outside.

The cold air of the crisp spring wind hit your face and burned at your cheeks but it relieved the heat of your skin from the hours tucked away in your workspace, and you felt yourself immediately warming up to being back outside on the farm grounds. The remains of winter were still clinging on, with small patches of frost speckled like freckles about the vivid landscape stretched out before your eyes; and yet even still life was still very much thriving on the farmland. You could see people and androids alike, each working on something in particular, be it tending to the crops you’d finally decided to bring in to give others an alternative pastime, decorating the barnhouse with the new shipments of paints, or merely just walking around the grounds, enjoying the freedom and clarity that had only recently been granted to them after so long. As the pair of you wandered around you could see a few stop what they were doing to acknowledge you both as you passed, a wave of warm smiles and sheepish waves greeting you upon noticing you and you happily returned them with ardency, finding yourself excited to check in on each of them on your break. It was a reassuring sight to see them all; come to think of it, you’d been so concerned over the wellbeing of each of them you hadn’t taken the time to take a look of how well they were all doing for themselves - seeing how far some of them had come when they’d originally arrived so mangled and traumatized made your heart swell with pride, relieved to simply see them all and knowing that they were on the road to what you could only hope was a complete recovery.

At the feeling of a hand on your shoulder you perked back up, looking back up to Malcolm who had finally fallen back into stride with you, understandably noticing you were ambling behind (not that it was hard to do so - he was taller than most so his strides could easily outpace you). Smiling you patted the hand reassuring, tracing your fingertips over the exposed blue muscles that were akin to what could typically be seen on the rest of his body, something he fortunately didn’t seem as concerned with. “I’m okay, just…looking is all”

He searched your expression for a few moments before his own softened and he squeezed your hand softly. “You helped them all, you know”

“Hm?”

“None of this-” he nodded towards the farm with a tilt of his head. “-would have been made without you. Androids may be free here but you’re still the hope for many of us; you opened your home, welcomed us with open arms and showed us more compassion than many of us had ever experienced. You saved us.”

At his words you blanked, feeling yourself growing flustered at the praise. You knew that you were doing the right thing, but thinking it and actually hearing someone say it were very different things, and yet regardless you huffed and waved a hand with a small, bashful smile. “Hey, no matter what I would have done the same thing! Just like a lot of people would…or hopefully would anyway.”

“Regardless we’re still grateful for you making this place - you’ve never turned one of us away and did your best to fix us with all you had no matter the case. Even when you saw us, you acted all the same, remember?”

Of course you remembered - how couldn’t you? You’d seen some injured androids in the past but none of them could have prepared you for when Malcolm and his followers had stumbled upon the farm; beaten, abused and transformed into something practically from a horror movie all against their wills. You’d be lying to say you weren’t scared, hell anyone would be, but it was the fact that you’d seen the fear like you’d felt mirrored on each of their faces - the fear of being turned away or falling back into the arms of someone who would use and abuse them - and it was that which brought you to taken the misfits under your wing, nursing each and every one as best as you could have to give them the best shot at a new start as you and the others could possible manage. And now those very androids were all around you, each still bearing scars of their torture but still standing even after so long. It gave you hope.

It gave you all hope.

A few beats of silence passed, not awkward in the slightest but more a sort of mutual understanding, but soon enough the moment passed and your grin was back, your hand coming up to playfully bat his back as you chuckled.

“Come on now - let’s put that all back now, okay? It’s a lot better to see you smiling when you’re being all sentimental” Malcolm huffed bemused but conceded nonetheless, swatting away your hand as you settled back to walking once again.

“Now - I think that’s more than enough break for me. I really want to get back to work on this new idea I’ve got for the farm - see I was thinking that we could do with some extra rooms, maybe make some extra bunks, or even add an-!”

“(Y/N)!”

Your words were lost in a startled yelp as you were suddenly swooped off of your feet, finding yourself pressed cheek-to-chest against a very familiar, bumbling, excitable android whose voice you could recognize almost immediately.

“Hey-ay-ay-ay there Ralph hun! Good to see you up and around today!” with a bit of effort you craned your neck up to get a better look at the beaming WR600 as he hugged a little too tightly for comfort.

It seemed he’d finally ditched his old clothes for the ones you’d offered him, now garbed in a plush green sweater and a set of dungarees and grinning from ear to ear, his face and scar scrunching up rather cutely alongside the action. Being one of the newer arrivals he’d been hostile and cautious around anyone android or human alike for a while, but now that he’d settled in you were glad to see him warming up to people just fine, and learning plenty of things about him in the process.

One of those things being of course that he was a hugger - a very, very strong hugger.

“Okay there, love, let’s ease up on the hugs a bit - I love them but I love my lungs too!” You joked and in moments you were back on your feet with an anxious android shuffling about, his hands moving actively alongside his words as he spoke.

“Ralph’s been looking for you for a while! He’s been in the garden today - oh, he’s seen and worked so many plants, they’re coming along excellent! Growing so well” he chirped, clearly proud of himself.

The garden had started off as a small project long before you’d made the sanctuary, only being a couple of small flowers and a handful of seeds before you had to put your focus into other things. And yet it seemed that even after so much damage to his programming he still retained the ever present green thumbs that WR600’s were known for having, and soon enough even in the short time he was here the forgotten garden had flourished into a beautiful place to relax and pass through under his watchful eye and nurturing tendencies. Frankly you were just glad that he was able to find something he could have fun doing here, rather than bundling up in his room, and you could see that he was just as ardent about the fact.

“Ralph’s come to find you - for you to see them too! You will love them, just love them - Ralph is sure of it!” A soft, insistent tug of your hand and you soon found yourself being led away towards the direction of the aforementioned garden, and taking a few moments to realize you were following along you shot a look over your shoulder, eyeing Malcolm silently asking him to at least come back you up.

Instead he merely cast you an amused look and folded his arms, merely chuckling to himself. “Don’t let me stop you - have fun~”

In reply you shot him a simmering look, which soon softened as you sighed and resigned yourself to being led by the ever energetic android right in front of you, letting your fingers intertwine as he absolutely beamed down at you wider than you’d seen from him in a long while as you shook your head and returned the smile with one of your own.

Well - perhaps those plans could wait till later.


	3. Markus X Android!Reader - Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus is on the run from police - an occurrence not too uncommon - but in his pursuit he comes upon a new face - a new friend looking for a chance for freedom?

A chorus of sirens and yelling bled into the alleyway, drowned out only by the scuffing of feet against the rough concrete, bouncing off the floor in a bid to get away from the increased voices of frenzied officers. Markus was all too familiar with the rush - since the beginning of the revolution he’d been through his fair share of trials and tribulations trying to establish their voices in the city, however he hadn’t counted on running into trouble so close to getting back home. He and the others had run into trouble on the way back from the Cyberlife, and in a bid to get back i one piece they’d decided to split, where the police would have had to decide who to pursue first.

They’d chosen him - of course they had. By now most of Detroit had come to know his face, learn what he was capable of, it shouldn’t have surprised him when the units following on foot had zeroed in on him as he disappeared into the darkness of the nearby alleyway, guns drawn as they’d rushed to cover the ground he’d already made between them. Fortunately the lack of light was on his side - Markus knew that they wouldn’t be stupid enough to fire shots without clear view even if they were sure they could hit him, and he was making use of the fact to his own advantage.

It didn’t take long before he reached a split in the alleyway, a path leading to the left and a path leading forward. Eyeing the left he could make out the dim glow of lamp post lights, likely leading back into the street and right back into the view of awaiting officers; however the path before him didn’t look any easier, leading directly into a dead end, the only escape being a raised fire escape planted alongside the very edge of the route. He didn’t have long to choose - risk the streets or attempt to reach the ladder above?

The sharp bark of an order behind him alerted him that they were catching up, and making his decision Markus eventually surged forward. With little hesitation he made the jump, latching onto the ladder and hoisting himself onto the fire escape; moments later the slamming of metal followed close below, and Markus only had enough time to catch sight of the officers desperately attempting to pull down the raised ladder before he took off. Scaling up each level of the fire escape he made quick work of the stairs, not bothering to waste time turning back in favor of reaching the top as soon as he could. By the time he reached the top of the fire escape the sound of yelling had just barely faded, and though he was sure the police wouldn’t bother themselves with the extra work of getting the broken ladder undone he didn’t want to take the chance, focusing his task on finding his way up.

Reaching up to the rooftop, he hiked over the remaining wall and landed almost soundlessly, taking off and making a move to round the rooftop storage only to stop in his tracks. Being so late at night he’d expected the rooftops to be deserted, however as he spotted the outline of someone hunched over the small rooftop garden he paused, tensing as he gauged whether he’d been spotted by the stranger or not. For a few seconds they didn’t budge from their spot, too preoccupied with their work to have noticed him, but once they did look up he found himself relaxing, taking notice of the glowing blue ring on the side of their head, barely illuminated by the lighting fixtures centred around the patch they were working on.

An LED; an android.

He watched cautiously, watching you blink and cock your head in silent questioning however you made no further movements as you spotted him, and Markus could make out the familiar emotionless haze that clouded your eyes, something he had seen in every android he freed since his deviancy.

“Hello?” He didn’t respond to your greeting, instead stepping to the side so he could scan the area behind you; just beyond the garden he could make out a clear path to the other buildings - a way out, he noted, all he had to do was get past you. Adjusting the straps of his pack he made a move to approach the ledge, moving forward only to pause as you stepped out in front of him, arms raised in an effort to get him to keep his distance

“Hello - can I help you?” again, your voice was soft spoken yet monotone, understandably programmed to sound pleasant as you waited for some indication of a response, and when you didn’t receive one you repeated.

“Sir, can I help you?”

Markus weighed his options - Time certainly wasn’t on his side to bother with explaining himself and he needed to group back with the others back at Jericho as soon as he was able to, and it was clear that he couldn’t afford to wait any longer unless he wanted to be cornered in. It wouldn’t take much to move the android before him aside and carry on, especially if he was assuring that he was leaving, and yet here you were before him - an unharmed android (and a seemingly well taken care of one by your current state) but one stuck in servitude nonetheless - one without a voice of their own; and there was something about that similarity, something he’d seen in everyone who had taken refuge in Jericho, that allowed him to take a different direction.

He approached again, this time not even bothering to move past you as you once again stood in his path, arms raising once again as your eyes flickered over his face, scanning for something in his expression with little emotion but not stopping him even as he moved close enough for your hands to press directly into his shoulders.

“Sir, the gardens are closed between nine pm and five am - I have to insist that you remove yourself before officers are-”

Whatever words you’d planned to speak paused as his hand reached out to snag one of your wrists, the synthetic skin of your arm revealing the white casing beneath from the contact, and Markus could feel your entire body tensing from the sudden contact; your free hand reached up to clasp onto the hand touching you, fingers digging in as your eyes widened . It only took a few moments before the facade finally broke and he watched as you tore yourself away, stumbling back a few steps as your hands weaved into your hair and a gasp forcing its way out as if you were finally allowed to breath. You were shaking, understandably so, and for a brief second your LED was a flurry of orange and red desperately trying to make sense of what was happening to your programming, cleary taking your new freedom worse than Markus had imagined.

Fortunately, he was right by your side once again to ground you, coaxing your hands back to your sides as he directed you to look back up to him.

“Hey, hey - it’s okay now, you’re free” Your eyes darted up to meet with his own, no longer clouded by a mindless haze but instead desperately searching them for some kind of answer, some kind of reason behind it all.

“Wha-what did you do to me-?!”

A screech of metal pierced through your words, and though Markus didn’t have to look back to guess what had happened he looked behind him, a flurry of growing footsteps confirming his fears.

“We have to go”

Patting your shoulder one last time he took off, launching himself off of the rooftops edge and onto the next building below, rolling to soften the landing before coming to a halt and rising to look back up, silently urging you to follow. “Come on!”

You didn’t need to be told twice, using the space before you to pick up momentum until you were able to reach the edge, copying his actions to ensure a safe landing not too far behind him; you faltered getting back onto your feet however, landing nowhere near as precisely as you had initially planned - for a moment it felt like you were just getting the hang of your controls, a bizarre feeling that left you with more questions and no time to answer them before you found yourself darting across rooftops, using them to descend closer and closer to the ground until the yells and cries of the pursuers grew muffled by the other noises of the streets below. The rest of the obstacles provided little challenge, as it didn’t take long to understand the basics of mapping out the terrain before you, but you still found yourself relieved once you’d finally reached a solid path into the safety of the floor beneath the two of you, sliding down into a small gap between two buildings.

Markus landed beside you shortly after, straightening up and dusting himself off as you turned to face him. “Are you okay?” you asked as he stood, earning yourself an almost disbelieving chuckle.

“I think I should be asking you the same thing”

“I…I’m fine, I think…” bringing a hand to your temple you rubbed circles against the LED, allowing a shaky sigh to pass your lips.

Too many thoughts were clouding your processor too much to analyse all at once - so many new feelings, so many new thoughts that were finally your own - finally yours - but…what were you going to do with them all? All these new possibilities? You’d be lying if you said you weren’t overwhelmed (a miracle of itself knowing that you finally could choose to lie, choose to tell the truth) but with the rush you were now acutely aware of everything. You could practically feel your thirium pump overheating, your biocomponents beating and thumping just beneath your synthetic skin - you felt as though you were going to cry at the whirl of everything.

You felt like you were finally yourself, for the very first time.

The brief register of a hand pressed against your shoulder offered a welcome silence to the thoughts clouding every fiber of your programming, and you turned your focus back to the android before you - Markus, as some part of you memory had filled in the blanks for you. For a moment you studied his face, finally able to appreciate it now left to your own thoughts, and you found yourself scanning every movement of those stunning, mismatched eyes of your new savior.

Different components - manufacturing error? It didn’t matter. They were warm all the same, welcoming, safe - hopeful.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know, and I understand that you’d need some time to process it all, but it’s going to be okay” A part of you felt as though that was wishful thinking for a bigger picture, but in the here and now it was comforting nonetheless and you found yourself slouching, the weight of relief and confliction muted only by the small, assuring smile you offered him in response.

“I know I just-well…Thank you, I guess.”

Smiling, Markus patted your shoulder in a comforting gesture before allowing his hand to slip away from you, an action that you found yourself already missing as you unconsciously placed your hand where his had once been. Taking a few steps away from you he peered out into the streets, scanning for any signs of patrol cars nearby for a few moments; once he was able to deem the coast clear he looked back to you and ushered you forward with a wave of his hand and you quickly scrambled to his side, looking out into the empty area.

It almost looked peaceful, a stark contrast from earlier by any means, but you knew better than to assume it was safe to be out in the open - the sooner you were both somewhere safer the better off you’d be. “We need to move quickly-” Markus motioned to the right, pointing to something which you could barely make out above the towering buildings looming over you both - over there; once we get there you’ll be safe”

Squinting, your systems faintly registered an image flashing before your eyes; a ship - from Markus’ memories? Transferred, likely. You shook your head, nodding more to yourself but he took your acceptance as a sufficient response.

“You okay to move?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m ready to go…okay.”

Offering a smile you watched Markus straighten up, offering you a hand and tilting his head in the direction he’d previously pointing to, and you didn’t hesitate to slip your hand into his own, confident that you’d follow him wherever he wanted you to go as he spoke.

“To Jericho?”

You nodded.

“To Jericho.”


End file.
